- Learned more about Symfony
- Learned more about Facebook's Social Plug-ins, Dialogs, FQL (Facebook Query Language), and JavaScript SDK
- Participated in discussions on an up-coming web/Facebook game and contest web/Facebook app
- Learned about Subversion
- Mapped a Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA game controller to control the mouse and keyboard in a Microsoft Windows 7 touch-screen computer
- Learned about DNS (Domain Name System) / NS (Name Server Record) Maintenance
- Launched Granville Island Brewing's new website
Symfony: Symfony provides a way for an application to sets its global configuration / settings. They are like global variables. All you need to do is enter them in app.yml and save this file in apps/AppName/config/.
As much as I appreciate what Symfony offers, I really question the value of it on websites with 85% to 90% static pages and less than or equal to 5 database tables. Website that uses the database tables for simple data storage not transactional like e-commerce.
One of the argument I have been given (and read online) is that the framework will prevent SQL injection. As it so happened this past week, we all heard / saw one of the largest SQL injection attack. So, does a framework like Symfony can prevent this kind of attack? Is it worth the extra complexity in development? Is it not enough to use mysql_real_escape_string function (in PHP) or equivalent?
Another argument I have read is because it is Object-Oriented (OO). I think this is similar to Beta versus VHS or Blue-Ray vs High-Definition DVD. In my opinion, Object-Oriented programming / development Does Not make applications better. Nor does Structured Programming / development. I truly believe skilled designers and developers, experience, and proper testing make good applications. OO, Structured Programming, Symfony, etc. are just methodologies / tools.
If you have an opinion on this, please comment on this blog entry.
Subversion: is an open source version control system. By the way, did you know it comes installed on Mac OS X? A version control system comes in handy when multiple people are working on the same set of files / documents. It provides a check-in / check-out service, versioning (maintaining all versions of the same file), comparison of different versions, merging of different version, etc.
So far, I haven't found a good open source GUI (Graphical User Interface) client for Mac OS X or Ubuntu Linux or web based. Yes, I'm not much of a command prompt person. Why memorize commands when you can do things via nice GUI.
If you know of a nice GUI client (anything but Microsoft Windows) that does everything (i.e., create a repository (one that can be access via http or https with user authentication), import the original set of files, maintain different environments (i.e., development, testing, production), maintain product releases (i.e., release 1, release 2, etc.), etc.), please let me know via comment of this blog entry.
Fun and Game: Playing games as a job was fun and attention getter. Before I was able to play, I had to figure out how to make a Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA game controller manipulate the mouse and or the keyboard in a Microsoft Windows 7 touch-screen PC. This particular game controller was made specifically for Sony PS3 and does not come with drivers or documentation. After Googling forum after forum and trying a few emulation software, Success.
It turns out the game controller's Stick Control Toggle switch was the magic switch. By switching it to the middle, the emulation software was able to detect the stick movements and map them to move the mouse and or press keys.
Game Time: 2 of the 3 prototype games were harder than expected (this was not just my opinion). For the final product, these games will be dialed back to make it a bit easier as they are meant to be played within 1 minute each.
Next week, I will configure another touch-screen PC with a second Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA game controller. More play time. :-)
Challenge: Being the only web developer on staff is challenging. Asking a couple external resources for advice was a lot harder than I thought. They explained the options but they never provide a solid direction. They all say, "It's up to you. Do what you are comfortable with." Well, being new in the field (hence, interning) comments like these are definitely not helpful. I thought experienced professionals would be more forthcoming with their wisdoms / guidance.
I have come to realize part way through this week I will have to make my own decisions on how things will be done. I just have to rely on my gut-instincts, my past experience, and what I've learned in school.
